Far From Home
by Akirafanatic
Summary: First part of story is now done! If you actually read this, look forward to the second part. That's where PoT will show up. Put this on hatus for a while and just now started back up so sorry if I made you wait. Tell me what you think!
1. Chapter 1

**Note:**

**Prince of Tennis won't show up for a few chapters so please be patient. I do NOT own any characters from CLAMP or from Prince of Tennis but I do own the plot and my OCC.**

**PLEASE REVIEW! NO UPDATES UNTIL I GET AT LEAST TWO REVIEWS. IT'S NOT THAT MUCH TO ASK FOR PEOPLE! PLEASE! I JUST WANT TO KNOW IF MY STORIES ARE ANY GOOD AT ALL!**

**Thank you, now here's the story.**

**/**

I heard the clink of heels hitting the pavement, the soft voices talking and the occasional laugh or shriek that came with it. The smell of garbage and food from nearby restaurants assaulted my nose as the soft breeze made my dirty, ratted and dull blonde hair dance slightly at the tips. I slowly opened my blue eyes that were still clouded with the fogs of sleep and I looked around.

To my left and right were high brick walls that blocked the sun for now and only gave us a view of the vast and wide open blue sky. I sat up and leaned back against the wall that marked the end of the alleyway and looked in front of me where hundreds of people were passing yet none bothered to even look my way.

I ignored them as I normally do and look down to my right where my two best friends who were as close as brothers to me were lying. I'm the oldest of us three at twelve, with the other two being the ages of eleven and ten; I think. We don't really know how old we are but that's about the age we think we are. We all made our own birthdays since we also couldn't remember when ours really were.

The three of us have many things in common but the biggest one is that we are orphans. Our parents were all killed and we're now living on the streets. It's a hard life, but we manage…somehow. I look down once more at the one lying right next to me and I smile sadly before lightly brushing the hairs out of his face. He's the youngest out of us at the age of ten and has black hair and big grey eyes.

We both worry about him, me and the third boy in our little family. We worry about him both because he's the youngest and because he's been getting very sick recently. We're not sure why, but we know that he needs to see a doctor, sooner rather than later. I lightly place my hand on his forehead and sigh silently; his fever has probably risen a little bit overnight. I take my tattered and torn blanket and put it over him as well. I smile a little when he snuggles closer to me and lightly fists part of my ratty clothes in one of his hands.

I look at the one on the far right, the eleven year old, and see that he is starting to wake up. As I wait for him to wake up fully, I put my hand on the youngest one's shoulder and gently shake it, trying to wake him up as well.

He moans softly and covers his head with the blankets, muttering, "One more minute." As he does and then curls up into a ball and falls asleep once more. I smile and take the blankets off his head and gently say, "Come on, you can go back to bed in a minute but you need to eat something this morning."

After another moan and some groans, he's sitting up and leaning his head on my shoulder sleepily. "Here," I said and gave both the boys next to me a small piece of stale bread each before I also take one. It's the last of our food, which means that we're going to have to go out and find some more soon.

"I'll go and look for some more food later." I say as I finish my small piece.

"No, you went last time, I'll go this time." The eleven year old said, determination showing in his bright golden eyes and I know that I can't argue with him.

"Alright Suoh," I say with a sigh. "Just make sure to get back before the sun starts to set."

"I know." Suoh tells me and stands up.

"Good luck." The ten year old says sleepily with a small smile.

Suoh smiles back at him before turning and leaving. I watch as he joins the crowd and disappears from my sight before I turn back to the youngest who is almost back asleep. I spot the stale bread I gave him barely eaten in his hand.

"Aren't you going to finish?" I ask him, worried about how much thinner he's been getting lately from not eating all of the small portions we each get.

"'M not hungry." He says sleepily. "You can have it."

"Akira, it's not good for you to-"I stop midsentence as I realize that he's not hearing any of what I'm saying since he's already fast asleep once more. I sigh and lay him back down, covering him with the blankets once more before I gently run my hand over his ratty and greasy hair. Before I knew it, my world darkened and I joined Akira in the land of dreams.

Plink

"Uh?" I blinked open my eyes when I felt something wet land on my nose. I looked up at the sky and found dark and ominous clouds looming overhead, and the roar of the thunder nearly made me jump out of my skin. My heart was racing a thousand times per second when lightning struck right overhead with a sound like the crack of a whip.

I'm not scared of thunder storms but I didn't' know this one was coming and looked like a big one. I knew we needed to get inside somewhere but I looked around and realized Suoh wasn't back yet. I was worried for him and also for Akira. I looked down at the boy and found him clinging to me while shaking, his grey eyes staring up at me with fear.

He's terrified of storms like this; mainly because it was on a night like this that his parents were killed before his eyes. I think that he's not scared of the storms so much as terrified that the same thing might happen again, and he'd be alone once more.

I put my arms around him and looked left and right, trying to find something-anything that could protect us from the storms blind fury. On my right were many papers and old wrappers flying each and every direction, but nothing that would help. To my left was not much better. Garbage bags left to be picked up in the morning were sitting there and being ripped open; their contents flying around us and out towards the people rushing to find shelter.

I helped Akira stand up and together, we stumbled our way out into the street. Everywhere we looked; people were rushing into the nearest stores, businesses, hotels, or trying to flag down a taxi to take them back home.

"Nokoru!" I turned when I heard my name being called and found Suoh fighting his way through the mass of rushing bodies towards us. When he made it, he had to shout to be heard over the roar of the raging storm going on around them. "We have to find somewhere to wait out the storm! It's too dangerous to stay outside in this weather!"

"I know!" I yelled back, ducking from a rather large sign that had been torn violently from where it once stood. "Where can we go though?"

We both looked around frantically but all the stores were crammed full and the owners were locking their doors to prevent more people from getting in and overcrowding the place and to keep the wind from blowing the doors open and ruining everything in the store. The streets were gradually emptying until the three boys were the only ones standing out in the torrent of rain.

"What?" I yelled to Suoh who had tried to tell me something but was drowned out by the shot of thunder that had just sounded.

He came closer and put his mouth next to my ear before he yelled, "Let's try downtown! They probably have lots of abandon warehouses!" I nodded instead of trying to scream over the storm. We started making our way slowly towards the downtown area. Each step felt like trying to walk with fifty pound weights strapped to each foot, and the wind was against us, trying to hold us in place or blow us backwards with the sheer force it was displaying.

Two feet in front of us was nothing more than rain. No building could be seen and even if your hand was right in front of your face, you wouldn't be able to see it. Each step was a guess, each breath watery, and we were blinded by the rain and wind.

I could hear nothing, see nothing, and the only way I knew my friends were still with me was the small and desperate hands clinging to me, and the firm arm around my wrist that wouldn't let me go so I didn't fall away and get swallowed by the hungry storm.

I don't know how far we walked, or how long we'd been going, but I knew that we were slowing down. I knew the reason as well, but we couldn't' stop or we might be taken by the storm. We made it a few steps further before I felt the hands that were clinging to me loosen and fall away.

I stopped and felt a jerk when Suoh tried to go forward but couldn't' since I wasn't' moving anymore. "What's going on?" Suoh shouted and I could just barely hear him since the storm had died down a tiny bit so I could see a little further and hear at least a little bit when people were shouting. I didn't answer him but just started making my way back while trying to both feel and look for our missing friend.

"Akira!" I shouted, but received no answer. Suoh heard me because he came closer to me and saw just me, Akira was nowhere in sight.

"Where is he?" Suoh shouted as he looked around.

"I don't know! He was here one second and then he wasn't!" I shouted back; worry building up inside me as I held back tears. I was about to call out again when I tripped over something soft and fell, Suoh just barely caught me in time. When I regained my balance, thanks to Suoh, we both knelt down to look at what I had tripped over.

What I saw almost made my heart stop. Akira was lying on the ground, not moving, but what really scared me was the slight trickle of blood coming from his mouth and being swept away by the river of rain filling the streets and sidewalks. I let my tears fall as I picked up the younger boy and held him in my arms, letting my tears fall and mix with the rain.

Suoh was next to me and sadly brushing Akira's hair out of his face, trying to make sure the younger boy was alright. I'm not sure how long we sat there, and I barely noticed how the rain let up a bit but still continued to pour. I didn't' even notice when I stopped getting wet, and only looked up when a deep but kind voice asked, "Are you boys alright?"

A man was standing before us and holding an umbrella over us to keep us from getting wet, thought it didn't truly matter since we were soaked to the bone anyway. The man had on a black suit that looked expensive and had short brown hair and kind, light brown eyes. He was handsome and dressed nicely yet he didn't' seem to care that he was ruining the suite as he knelt down before us and looked at me and Suoh before turning his attention to Akira.

"Oh my," He said, and reached out a hand to gently touch his (Akira's) forehead. I held onto Akira tighter, and protectively incase he tried to do anything and he chuckled a little bit. "I promise I won't hurt him or you." He told me as he looked me right in the eye. "However, he does need to see a doctor." He seemed to think for a bit before standing up and asking, "Would you three like to come with me? I can help treat your friend and give you a place to stay from the storm."

I looked at Suoh who seemed hesitant to trust the man like I was, but we didn't have a choice; Akira needed a doctor, and he needed one now. We both nodded and I let Suoh pick Akira up so he could carry the younger boy and we followed the man to a very expensive looking car.

He opened the back door for us and we climbed in, very aware that we were probably ruining the seats by getting them all wet. He climbed in after us and sat in the seat right across from ours. The back of the car was spacious and had leather seats. Suoh and I sat in silence and listened to the man talk quietly into his phone for a minute or two before he hung up and smiled at us.

"The doctor should meet us back at my house." He said.

"Who are you and why are you doing this for us?" I demanded, wanted to get as many answers as I could from this guy before the ride was over.

He seemed surprised by the question and blinked a few times before laughing and saying, "I'm very sorry. Let me introduce myself. My name is Maxwell Johnson and I was born and raised in America. My parents were the late owners of the companies that I now run. I was voted one of the richest men in the world and my companies are most probably the richest in the world. As for why I'm doing this, there's really no reason. See, I love children and have donated quite a sum of money to many organizations around the world that deal with helping children who are sick and in need of medical attention. When I saw you, I couldn't' just pass on by and do nothing about it."

I thought about his answer for a few minutes before I said, "You're different than everyone else."

"Is that a good thing?" He asked me.

"I'm not sure yet." That answer made him laugh fully and right there, I decided that I liked the sound of his laugh. "Hey, mister-"

"Call me Max." He said with a smile.

I couldn't' help it, so I smiled back and asked, "Max, do you have any kids?"

"No, I don't. I've never married and haven't adopted so right now, I'm all alone except for my staff that are amazing and I don't know what I'd do without." Max looked sad when he said this, but also happy at the same time.

"Doesn't that get lonely?" I asked.

"Yes, most of the time." Max answered. "Though, because I'm rich, I'm afraid of what might happen if I do get married or have any kids." Seeing my confused look, he smiled sadly and said, "See, rich people get targeted a lot so there are many people out there who would love to hurt me. If I got married or had any kids, they would most likely be targeted as well and I couldn't' bear to think of what would happen if they got hurt, or worse."

"We know how you feel." I said sadly and looked down at the ground. "All our parents were murdered, and what made it worse was that we watched it happen. I don't' ever want to go through that again." Tears were running down my face and I swatted them away. Suoh put his hand on my shoulder, silently giving me comfort. I smiled weakly over at him and wiped my tears on my arm.

When I looked back up, I was surprised when I felt strong and warm arms wrap around me. I wanted to be strong, but I was tired of holding it all in and I broke down, crying into Max's jacket and getting it sopping wet. Something seemed to melt away inside me because I suddenly felt a lot better than I had in a long time. Feeling safe inside the warm arms, I slowly stopped crying as I drifted off to sleep. My last thought before I completely gone was _'He smells like lavender…I like that smell, it reminds me of mom.'_

I slept on when the car stopped and didn't' wake up when Max carried me inside and placed me on a soft bed, or even when he pulled the blankets up around me and whispered goodnight. That night, I dreamed of my family, and how we used to be before they were killed.

It was the best dream I'd had in a long time, and also the safest, best and warmest I've felt in a long time and I knew it had nothing to do with being in the warm bed, but everything to do with Max. All I really knew at the time was that I was happier than I had ever been in the five years it's been since my parent's death, and I never wanted to lose this feeling again.


	2. Chapter 2

As the sun rose higher in the sky, its ray's shone through the bedroom window of a great mansion and onto Nokoru's face, lighting it up and framing it so he looked like a sleeping angel. After a few moments of having the sun in his face, Nokoru rolled over and faced away from the light and snuggled deeper into the covers, not wanting to wake up just yet.

'_Mm, so soft and warm.'_ He thought with a smile. It took a few seconds for his brain to register what he just thought and when it did, he bolted upright and opened his eyes, looking around him. He was in a big room that was painted with a color scheme of baby blue and soft lavender purple. The bed had baby blue sheets on it and the pillow cases were lavender. There was a dresser opposite the bed and one wall was full of windows whose curtains were drawn back to let in the light. Through them, Nokoru could see a big garden with a small gazebo that had vines and flowers growing on it and around it. There were three doors in the room, one that led outside the room, one led to the big walk-in closet and the other led to a master bathroom. There was also a desk with a computer and a flat screen television hanging on the wall facing the bed. A bookshelf filled with many different books sat on the wall opposite the windows. He looked down and found that he was wearing a shirt that was much too big for him as it went down to his knees, the sleeves that were supposed to be short-sleeved went past his elbows and the shirt was slipping off of his shoulders. His old clothes were nowhere in sight.

It took a minute for Nokoru to remember why he was there, and when he did he crawled out of the giant bed and made his way to one of the doors. He opened it to find a large hallway that was vast and spacious, with statues and paintings in it and doors a few ways down on each side. The ceiling was so high that Nokoru felt there wasn't' one at all. Not sure of which way to go, he choose to go right and opened the door on the side of the room he was just in.

The room was much the same as the one he was in only its colors were a rusty red, pumpkin orange, and a brownish color with a golden tint to it so it looked like fall. He looked in around for anyone inside but the room was empty, though the bed was messed up and you could someone had been in here earlier. Nokoru shut the door and turned back around to head to the door that was on the left side of his since the right ended a few feet down and there were no more doors that way.

When he got to the set of doors that were on the left side of the room he was placed in, someone opened them from the outside before he had a chance to even tough them. Nokoru looked up at the man who had opened the doors and found Max smiling down at him. "Finally awake I see." He said quietly, though it echoed slightly down the large hallway.

"Where are Suoh and Akira?" Nokoru asked, his voice also quiet.

"Your friends?" Max asked and Nokoru nodded. "They're in there." He jerked his head in the direction of the room he just came out of. "The one with the blue hair and golden eyes-"

"Suoh," Nokoru interrupted. "He's Suoh and the other is Akira."

Max nodded and corrected himself, "Suoh just woke up a few minutes before you did. Akira's still asleep though and still sick so let him sleep. I had my doctor come and take a look at him last night. He should be fine after a bit of rest and if he takes the medicine Haru left for him."

"Haru?" Nokoru asked and tilted his head to the side.

"Ah, he's my doctor." Max explained. "He has been for a long time and he's also one of my closest friends. We went to school together and as soon as he became a doctor, I hired him for one of my hospitals and he's the one I call whenever I get sick or hurt."

"Did he find out what the blood coming out of his mouth was?" Nokoru remembered seeing that and wanted to know it was nothing serious.

"Don't worry," Max said with a smile and placed a hand on Nokoru's shoulder. "He just lost a tooth. He only has a fever right now, alright?" Nokoru nodded in understanding. "Good, now I was about to go and get some breakfast, would you care to join me?"

"Can I see Suoh and Akira first?"

"Of course you can. How about I have something brought up for you to eat?" Before Nokoru could respond, his stomach let out a loud growl and he looked down, his face flaming red with embarrassment as Max let out a laugh. "I'll take that as a yes." He said. "It'll be up in a while so you can just wait in the room, alright?"

"Thank you," Nokoru said. Max smiled and was about to walk away when he felt small arms wrap around his waist. He looked down and saw Nokoru's face buried in his stomach and the boy clinging to him. Max knelt down and Nokoru moved his arms to around the man's neck and his face was buried in Max's shoulder.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Max asked gently as he felt to the boy start to shake. He wrapped his arms around Nokoru and gently stoked the golden hair.

"Thank you," Nokoru said quietly and let out a small sob. "Thank you for everything you're doing for us. Y-You're the n-nicest man in the w-world." He was crying harder now and stumbling over his words. Max smiled and just waited there, hugging the crying boy and softly stroking his hair, waiting for the tears to stop.

When they finally did, Nokoru let go of Max and wiped his eyes on the sleeve of the too big shirt he was wearing. "Are you feeling better?" Max asked with a kind smile.

"Sorry," Nokoru said with a sniff.

"Don't apologize." Max said as he put a hand on Nokoru's head. "Everyone needs to cry sometime and when you do, don't try and hold them back or it'll just get backed up and you won't feel any better." Nokoru looked at Max and smiled a little. "Now, why don't you go and see your friends? I'll send something up for you to eat in a little bit, alright?" Nokoru nodded and turned to the room Max said Suoh and Akira were in before he opened it and went inside.

The inside of this room was somewhat like the inside of the room painted to look like fall only this one was made to look like a beautiful spring day. You could also see the garden through the windows and sunlight streamed through them to light up the room in bright ribbons. Nokoru found Suoh sitting in a chair next to the bed and holding open a book. When he heard the door open, he looked up and smiled at Nokoru.

"When did you get up?" Suoh asked but when he noticed Nokoru's red eyes and tear streaked face, he instantly got a worried look on his face and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Nokoru answered with a smile. "I'm just happier than I have in a long." Suoh looked Nokoru in the eyes and saw a spark of happiness he hadn't seen there before and he smiled. The spark lit up his eyes and made them a brighter blue. To Suoh, when Nokoru smiled, it seemed brighter than he'd ever seen it before and lit up the room brighter than the rays of sun ever could.

Nokoru turned his attention to the bed when he saw movement from the corner of his eye. He found Akira facing away from the sun that was coming in the window and curled up on his side in the big bed. One of his hands was lying next to his head and the other was a little ways down from that hand as he slept. Nokoru looked again at both Akira and Suoh and found that they were both in shirts like he was but they looked different.

He studied them a little closer and it clicked after a few moments. "What is it?" Suoh asked Nokoru who had been staring without realizing it.

"Sorry," Nokoru mumbled. "It's just that, you two look different when you're not covered in dirt like normal." It was true as well. Suoh's hair was a lighter blue than Nokoru had first thought it was and without the dirt on his face, Nokoru thought that he looked younger and more handsome than before. Suoh's eyes were a bright golden color that seemed brighter than normal though it may have been Nokoru's imagination. He looked down at Akira whose hair seemed so soft and he confirmed it when he gently ran his hand through the younger boys black hair. Without dirt covering Akira's face and combined with the effect of the sun shining in the background right on him, he looked almost like a sleeping angel. His flushed face from the fever only made the effect stronger and Nokoru smiled because he thought the younger boy was cute like this.

Suoh blinked a few times before he laughed a little bit and said, "So do you." When he saw Nokoru's confused face, he pointed to the bathroom and said, "Look in the mirror." Nokoru followed where Suoh was pointing and opened the door to the bathroom. He looked around and saw a magnificent bathtub that looked as though it could hold twenty people or so at once. There was also a smaller but still large shower near that and a toilet across from that. The sink was halfway down the wall from the toilet and there was a vanity next to the sink along with a cabinet above the sink. There was a full-body mirror that took up the entire unused wall except for small portions on each side which had shelves up and down those portions and each shelf had either towels or bath things on them. The entire room was done in a black and white pattern.

Nokoru looked in the mirror and his eyes widened. His hair seemed to be shining in the light that came in through a small window up high on the wall. His face seemed to have a glow to it and made him seem younger than he is. His eyes were bright blue and almost shone with the happiness he still felt. He had never seen himself so clean before and he spent a few moments just running his hands through his soft hair and running them along his now clean skin which was softer than they had been when covered in dirt.

He looked up and saw Suoh's smiling reflection looking at him. "When…" Nokoru started but trailed off when a knock sounded at the door. He and Suoh went to answer it and they found some maids outside with plates of steaming food waiting there with smiles on. They giggled a bit when they saw the boys and set the plates down on the dresser along with a few glasses and a pitcher of both milk and orange juice. They bowed before they left the room, whispering to each other about how adorable the boys were which made Suoh and Nokoru blush and the maids giggle even more.

As soon as the door shut again, Suoh and Nokoru looked at the food with wide eyes and their mouths watered a little bit at how much there was and from the wonderful smells wafting up from them. There were eggs, bacon, muffins, and many other western foods they'd never seen before. They savored the smell and sight of all the food before they slowly started trying parts of it.

They each picked up a small muffin and bit into them at the same time. Their eyes widened and lit up in pleasure at the soft and spongy muffins that seemed to melt in their mouth. For the two boys who'd been living on the streets for the past few years, this was like heaven for them. Nokoru was so excited about the food, he forgot about Akira's fever and jumped on the bed before shaking the younger boy and saying rather loudly, "Akira! Get up! You have to try some of this food! It's amazing!"

He kept shaking the younger boy until he saw Akira's eyes open and heard him groan a little bit. He pulled Akira up into a sitting position and watched the boy rub his eyes as he looked around. "Where are we?" He asked sleepily.

"Never mind that now." Nokoru said with a big goofy smile on, "Here, try this." He grabbed another small muffin and shoved it into Akira's mouth when he opened his mouth to ask another question. Nokoru and Suoh watched Akira's eyes light up in delight as he chewed. He closed his eyes and hummed in pleasure when he finished and as he was licking his lips.

Nokoru smiled and laughed a little before he motioned Suoh to get up on the bed as well and started moving the plated onto the bed. The three laughed and enjoyed what they thought of as the best meal they'd ever had or at least remember having.

When Max came up to the room about an hour later to check on the boy's he found the three of them cuddled together, sleeping on the bed; each with a giant smile on their face and all the dirty dishes left lying on the bed. He chuckled a bit to himself when he looked at the boys clothes and found them covered in some of the food along with what looked to be both mild and orange juice stains running down them.

He set the dirty dishes on the dresser quietly before he pulled the blanket up around the three boys and gave them each a kiss on the forehead before he brushed the stray hairs out of their faces. When he stood up again, he crossed the room and shut the curtains; casting the room into darkness before he silently left the room and shut the door with a soft click.

Late morning turned into late afternoon before the boys woke up again. Nokoru was, surprisingly, the first one up and he slipped out of bed as quietly as he could and made his way to the bathroom. Suoh woke up to the sound of water running and was about to get out of bed, only to realize that there was a weight on his chest. He looked down and smiled softly when he saw Akira was lying half on him and clutching part of his shirt in one of his fists.

Not wanting to wake the boy, Suoh laid there and stroked Akira's hair until Nokoru came out of the bathroom a few moments later. He smiled when he saw Akira sleeping half on top of Suoh. He went over and together, he and Suoh gently moved the younger boy off of Suoh and laid him back on the bed, where they watched him clutch part of the sheets instead of Suoh's shirt.

Once Suoh got out of bed, Nokoru put the blanket back over Akira and the two left the room quietly, letting the still sick boy get his rest. When they got into the hallway, they realized they had no clue where they were going.

"Um, let's try going left." Nokoru suggested. "Going right just leads to a dead end." Suoh nodded in agreement and the two set off in search of….well, they weren't exactly sure what they were looking for.

"Nokoru," Suoh said after a few minutes of walking around lost in the grand mansion, "Where are we going exactly?"

Nokoru stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment before he gave Suoh and blank look and stated, "I don't' know." Suoh fell anime style while Nokoru looked around and thought about where they were trying to get to. "Let's try and find Max." He said at last, as Suoh was getting up from the floor.

"Great," Suoh said as he fixed his too big shirt, "And where are we going to find him?" Again, Nokoru gave him a blank look and Suoh sweat dropped.

"Anyway, let's just keep walking and maybe we'll run into someone who can tell us where he is." Nokoru said and Suoh let out a weary sigh before following the blonde. The two walked for what felt like hours though in reality was only a few minutes. In no time, the two were completely and utterly lost with nobody else in site. "Just how big is this house?" Nokoru yelled, tears of frustration threatening to fall.

"I'm sure we'll find someone soon." Suoh said, trying to comfort the blonde. "Let's look in one of the rooms to see if someone's in there." Nokoru sniffed and nodded as he wiped his eyes. The two opened a door and just stared since it was the room they had left Akira sleeping in, the younger boy still sleeping.

"We just went in a circle." Nokoru said in disbelief. "But…how? When did we turn around?"

"Something wrong?" The two jumped nearly a foot in the air and turned around to see Max smiling down at them. "Sorry," He said, "I didn't' mean to scare you. I was coming to see if you were awake yet."

Nokoru nodded as he waited for his heart to stop racing. When it did, he asked, "How do we get out of here? We just spent **hours** walking around here yet we kept winding up in the same place!"

Max chuckled at that and said, "Yes, this house is rather like a maze so it's very easy to get lost if you don't' know your way around. Why do you want to leave anyway?"

"We were trying to find you." Suoh said before Nokoru could even open his mouth.

"Really? Why? Is something wrong?" Max asked, his face turning worried.

"Ah? No, nothing's wrong." Nokoru said, reassuring the man.

"That's good. So why were you trying to find me then?"

Nokoru opened his mouth but paused and then shut it again, a look of confusion taking over his face. After a few moments, he finally sighed and said, "I don't know. We woke up and weren't sure what to do so…"

He trailed off and looked at Max who was smiling at them warmly. "Well, there are lots of things you can do here." He said. "You can go out and visit my gardens or I have a game room or an indoor pool or training area or a big gym that I use when my trainer comes over. You could read in the library or go on a computer and play games. See, there are lots of things to do here so hopefully you won't get bored. I can have a maid or butler take you places you want to go if you'd like."

After Max had explained most of it, he looked down and blinked when he saw the two boys staring up at him with wide eyes and open mouths. "Do you really have all that in this house?" Nokoru whispered in awe.

"Yes, I do. I also have much more not only here but in my other houses all over the world." Max stated proudly and was amazed when the boy's eyes got even bigger since he hadn't thought that at all possible.

He stepped back in surprise when Nokoru's face did a 360 and turned serious. Nokoru looked Max right in the eye and said, "You're not just rich…" His eyes turned sparkly and big as he smiled and said, "You're the ruler of the world since only the ruler of the world could have all this stuff in so many houses!" He bounced around the hallway talking nonstop about how amazing it was that he was in the presence of the ruler of the world and other nonsense like that.

Max blinked a few times and Suoh sweat dropped. After a minute or two, what Nokoru had just said stuck a cord with Max and the man laughed long and hard until tears were coming from his eyes. "I…haven't laughed….like that….in a long time!" Max said between pants as he tried to catch his breath and wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Actually, I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that." A new voice said in amusement and the three turned around to see a man standing there and smiling. He was taller than Max by a little bit and had shaggy black hair that reached a little past his ears with red tips at the end. He had thin wire glasses on that sat in front of black eyes that were laughing. He was wearing a pair of jeans with sneakers and a red shirt with a light jacket over it that was the color black. He had a small bag in his hand.


	3. Chapter 3

"Haru!" Max said with a small laugh and went over to the man. "What are you doing back here?"

Haru looked at Max is disbelief and said, "Did you forget already? I told you I was coming back to do a check up on the child I saw to yesterday." Haru looked down at Nokoru who was staring up at him with an accusing look in his eyes. "May I help you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You don't look like a doctor." Nokoru answered, frowning up at the person.

Haru laughed and said, "Well, I'm sorry if it's supposed to be my day off today and I'm not dressed in my doctor's coat. May I ask who you are?"

"Haru," Max said, "This is Nokoru and Suoh," He pointed to the boys respectively, "They're Akira's, the boy who you treated yesterday, friends."

"Is that so?" Haru asked and Nokoru nodded with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Suoh was in the background shaking his head as he sighed at Nokoru's antics. Haru smiled and knelt down to look Nokoru in the eyes. "You don't have to worry." He said warmly, "I really am a doctor and I'm just here to help your friend-Akira was it?" He looked at Max who nodded.

"Prove it." Nokoru said stubbornly. "Or else I'm not letting you near Akira." He stuck out his chin stubbornly and stood firm in front of the door. It was a rather funny site since he was also trying to keep the shirt from falling off his shoulders while keeping his arms crossed.

Haru sighed and stood up, turning to Max for help. With a small chuckle to himself, Max went over and put his hand on Nokoru's head saying, "I'm aware that you're suspicious, but he's been my good friend for many years and I went to school with him. I saw him graduate at the top of his class and I hired him because he's probably one of the best doctors I know."

"I'm one of the only doctors you know because you're paranoid that if I'm not your doctor than whoever else is will give you faulty medicine that will kill you." Haru said with a snort. Max looked at him and pouted.

"That's not fair." Max said. "I'm praising your skills and you make fun of me. Maybe **I** won't let you go in and see Akira if you keep being mean to me."

"They're acting like kids." Suoh whispered to Nokoru who covered his mouth to hide a laugh as he nodded.

"I like them," Nokoru whispered back, "They're funny. Not the other adults who are too serious all the time." Nokoru coughed and said in a loud voice so he could be heard, "Alright, I believe you now. Anyone who acts like you two do when you're grown up must be good people."

Haru and Max blinked for a few times before Haru asked, "Does that mean I can go in now?" Nokoru giggled a little and nodded as he stepped aside. Haru bowed to him and Suoh before he opened the door to the room and shut it behind him.

"Alright, now that that's settled," Max said while looking at the two boys who turned towards him when he started speaking, "You two are all dirty again so I guess it's time for another bath."

"We're dirty?" Nokoru asked as he looked himself over. Suoh did as well and they turned confused eyes towards Max who smiled gently and said, "Yes, you won't think so because of how you used to live but in this house, we like to be clean which means no food spilled all over us and baths or a shower each night."

"Every night?" Nokoru asked with wide eyes. Max nodded and took one of Nokoru's hands and one of Suoh's before leading them into the room Nokoru had slept in before and into that room's bathroom. The two boys watched as Max started letting the water run into the tub and once it got warm, he put the plug in that would keep the water from going down the drain so the bathtub could fill up. He turned on the other faucets around the tub so it could fill up faster since the tub was so large.

It took a few minutes for the tub to become full but once it did, Max turned off the faucets and turned towards Suoh and Nokoru. "Shirts off and get into the tub." Max told them gently but sternly and he turned around to get the bath things they would need on the shelves. All the bathrooms were identical and had heated tiles that were checkered in a black and white pattern so the floor wouldn't' be too cold in the winter. He heard splashing sounds and little yelps.

"You alright?" Max asked and looked at the boys. He saw them slowly going lower in the water with looks of both determination and a small amount of pain because the water was so hot. "Is it too hot?" Max asked as he walked over with the bath things. "I can make it a little colder if you want."

"No," Nokoru said through gritted teeth as he went in the whole way. "It feels good but we've never been in water this hot before so it takes a little getting used to." Max smiled at the answer and a little bigger when the looks on both Suoh's and Nokoru's faces turned to ones of pleasure at the feel of the hot water. "By the way," Nokoru said, "Why do we have to take a bath and Akira doesn't? He's dirty too."

"Haru's taking that." Max answered. "If you three take one together when one of you is sick then there's a chance of the other's getting sick as well." Nokoru and Suoh's faces got a look of understanding on them and watched as Max poured something into the water that smelled like lavender and created many bubbles in the water that clung to Suoh and Nokoru when the boys touched them.

Meanwhile

Haru shut the door to the room and made his way over to the sleeping boy. He set his bag down and took out his stethoscope before listening to Akira's heartbeat. He smiled at Akira when the boy slowly opened his eyes because of the chill of the stethoscope against his skin.

"Who're you?" Akira asked with a yawn. He didn't know why but knew that the person in front of him wasn't bad and had no bad intentions. He had no idea that he was able to detect if anyone wanted to hurt him or his friends and had any bad intentions and he wouldn't find that out until later on in life.

"My name is Haru, and Max called me to come over and help you since I'm a doctor." Haru said with a kind smile and then said, "Take a deep breath please."

Akira did as he was told and then said, "You don't look like a doctor."

Haru smiled and shook his head before saying, "Your friend said the same thing earlier. Here, place this under your tongue and hold it there for me." He placed a thermometer in Akira's mouth and watched the boy do as he was told. "I'll be right back, don't' take that out of your mouth until I tell you, alright?" Akira nodded and watched Haru open the door to the bathroom and listened as water started running.

A few moments later, Haru came back out and took the thermometer out of Akira's mouth and looked at it. "Well, your fever's going down but it's not completely gone yet. It should be gone by sometime tomorrow if you take your medicine, get some rest and drink lots of water. Understand?" Akira nodded and Haru smiled before pouring some medicine into a spoon and handing it to the boy who took it and swallowed before making a face at the taste.

"Yuck," Akira said and stuck out his tongue.

Haru chuckled and patted Akira on the head as he handed the boy a glass of water and said, "I know, I don't like the taste either but at least it will make you better." He took the glass from Akira when the boy was finished and then picked him up and carried him into the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Akira asked, looking up at Haru with big eyes.

"You need a bath." Haru stated simply. "Your friends are getting one next door as we speak and it's time for you to get one as well."

"Why?"

"Because you're dirty."

"I am?"

"Compared to everyone else in this house, yes."

"Oh,"

"Alright, take off the shirt and get into the tub while I get the things we need to get you clean again." He went to get the things and listened as he heard a small splash. When he turned around, Akira's head was the only thing visible and he was watching as Haru gathered everything.

"Is the water the right temperature?" Haru asked and smiled when Akira nodded. "That's good." Haru brought the things over and set them down near the edge before sitting on his knees and saying, "Turn around."

Akira complied and they sat in silence as Haru wet down the boys hair before putting shampoo in it and scrubbing it. "Do you have a family?" Akira asked out of the blue a few minutes later.

"Hmm?" Haru asked. "No, I don't."

"Oh…why not?"

"I guess I just haven't found that special someone yet."

"Special someone?"

"Yeah, a special someone is the one person who you love with your whole heart and want to spend the rest of your life with."

"How will you know if you find them?"

"Well, you get this feeling, almost like you're floating and you could never be happier when you're with them and you get sad when you're away from them. If they're with someone else then you get jealous. You want to be the only one who they look at and you cherish every second you're with them."

"Oh…how do you know what it feels like?"

Haru laughed and asked, "Why all the questions?"

Akira sank lower in the tub until his nose was just above the water and he muttered, "Sorry," causing bubbles to come up to the surface.

"That's alright," Haru said with a smile as he gently rinsed the shampoo from the boy's hair. "I know the feeling only because I've felt it once before when Max and I were in high school." Akira looked up at Haru, waiting for him to tell him what happened. Haru smiled and started the story. "Max and I were in our third year of high school when a new transfer student came to our class.

"When I first saw her, everything else faded away and it was only me and her. She smiled at me when she saw me staring and my heart melted. I knew right then that I liked her, maybe even loved her. In my eyes, she was the most beautiful being on earth. She had long, soft and wavy light brown hair and these big green eyes that lit up when she laughed. Oh, her laugh was the most beautiful sound in the world to me. It was like bells, light and pure. She lit up my life with her smile and laugh.

"For that year, I felt like I was in heaven and nothing could bring me down."

"What was her name?" Akira asked. Haru almost forgot the boy was there and looked down into the big grey eyes that were watching him.

"Maya, Maya Jacobson. She was an angel, perfect in every way."

"So what happened?"

Haru sighed and said, "She fell in love with someone else back in America and moved after that year. When I'd heard that, my heart felt as though it broke into a million pieces and I shut myself in my room for almost a month, mostly staring at a picture of the three of us, her, Max and me. I still regret that I never told her how I felt about her. Had I done that, I might have had a chance with her, but I waited too long and now, now I don't even know where she is or if she married the guy." Tears made their way down Haru's cheeks and he let out a small sob. "I-I should have told her." He was surprised when small arms wrapped around him and he looked down to see Akira, wrapped in a towel since he was drying the boy off during the story, hugging him.

"Don't cry," He said and looked up at Haru with big eyes. For a moment, Haru just stared at Akira but he suddenly hugged the boy close to him and cried. He hadn't cried since the day he found out Maya had left and it felt good to do so now. After a few minutes, Haru finally stopped crying and let go of Akira before he wiped his eyes. He was about to say something but Akira beat him to it by asking "Feel better?" For a moment, all Haru could do was stare at the young boy in front of him who was smiling up at him so brightly.

"W-What?" Haru asked with a small sniff.

"Do you feel better?" Akira asked once more. "You were sad so you cried. Mommy used to tell me that I should cry if I was sad and then I'd feel better." Haru looked at the boy and realized that he was feeling better.

"I guess I do feel better." Haru said and smiled at Akira. "Thank you. It seems that your mother was right." There was silence for a few moments as Haru got a second towel and started drying Akira's hair as he thought about everything that had just happened. "Hey, Akira?" Haru asked the boy quietly.

"What?" Akira asked and tilted his head back until he was looking at Haru upside down.

Haru chuckled and said, "Let's keep this a secret, alright?"

"Why?" Akira asked in confusion.

"I'd rather not let everyone know that I was crying. I'd ruin my reputation at work if they ever found out."

"Alright." They sat in silence once more and when Akira's hair was all dry, Haru carried the boy back into the bedroom and sat him on the bed before he started rifling through the dresser and then closet for him to wear. He finally found something but when he turned back to the bed, Akira was already asleep once more.

Haru chuckled and put another too big shirt on the boy before tucking him back into bed and ruffling his hair slightly. He smiled when Akira turned on his side and snuggled deeper into the blankets. Haru quietly left the room and shut the door with a small click so he wouldn't wake the small boy. When he turned around he nearly jumped to see Max, Nokoru and Suoh right behind him.

"Don't do that to me." Haru said, trying to calm his racing heart.

"Sorry," Max said with a smile. "We were just wondering if you tow would like to join us for dinner."

"I'd love to but Akira fell asleep again so I think it'd be better to just let him sleep." Haru explained and Max nodded in understanding. "Also, about what I talked to you about last night…" Haru started but trailed off when Max held up a hand.

"Not now," He said, "We'll talk after dinner." Haru nodded and Suoh and Nokoru just looked between the two in confusion.

"What were you talking about?" Nokoru asked.

"Don't worry about it." Haru said with a smile at the same time Max said, "I'll tell you later." The two looked at each other and blinked. "Is it fine for them to know?" Haru asked.

Max nodded and said, "Yes, I think they have every right to know." Before Nokoru could say anything, Max turned to him and Suoh and said, "We'll tell you after dinner." Nokoru pouted a little but nodded anyway.

The four went down to dinner as they talked about most everything. Suoh and Nokoru asked a million questions about the house and Man as well as Haru asked about either what good times they remembered from when their family was alive and what it was like the past few years for them.

Those questions continued through dinner, but only after Suoh and Nokoru were done gaping at how much food was before them and at how amazing it smelled. Haru and Max were happy that the two were enjoying themselves and found dinner to be quite entertaining for them.

When it was over, Haru sat back and folded his arms in front of him before looking at Max. "Alright Haru," Max said, now somewhat serious, "What were the results?"

"Results?" Nokoru asked, looking at the two curiously.

Haru looked at Max who turned to the two boys and sighed before saying, "When I asked Haru to come last night, he wanted to make sure that Akira only had a fever so to make sure, he took a few…samples…to test. I assume that he's found out if it was only a fever or not?"

Haru nodded and said, "It was,"

"But?" Max asked, reading the look on Haru's face easily.

"But, it's a little more complicated than that." Haru said. "It's true that the fever was all it was and it was normal, however there is something else."

"What?" Suoh asked.

"Is it really bad?" Nokoru asked, worry showing clearly on his face.

Haru smiled gently at the two and said, "No, it's not really bad but it does need to be watched."

"What is it Haru?" Max asked, wanted his friend to come out and say it.

"All the results said that he has a very low immune system." Haru said to Max.

Max looked relived that it wasn't something terrible and laughed a little at both Suoh's and Nokoru's confused faces. "What does that mean?" Nokoru asked, his head tilted to the right a bit.

"It just means that he can get sick very easily." Max explained.

"If he overtires himself or isn't careful then he can get sick again." Haru said, "The more that he does get sick though, the weaker his immune system gets so he needs to be very careful of what he does and especially if he goes out anywhere."

"Is there any way we can help?" Nokoru asked, meaning him and Suoh.

Haru nodded with a smile and said, "Yes, there is."

"What is it?" Suoh asked.

"You two can make sure that he rests if he gets tired, doesn't push himself too hard, and make sure that he has someone with him when he goes out anywhere besides the garden out back since the staff here can most defiantly keep an eye on him. Also, I wouldn't let him go out in the rain. He can go out if it is raining but not be in the rain since that's a good way to develop another fever. However, you must make sure that you don't overdo it and that you let him live a somewhat normal life. If you are too pushy or overdo it than he might push you away and get mad at you or sneak around and do things you won't let him which is even worse. Alright?"

"…That's a lot." Nokoru said.

"Does that mean you can't do it?" Max asked with a smile.

A look of determination came over both Suoh's and Nokoru's faces and they both said, "We can." At the same time. "I don't' want him to keep getting sick." Nokoru said. "We'll do what you said."

Haru nodded with a warm smile on and said, "Just remember not to overdo it."

"We won't!" Nokoru and Suoh said at the same time once more.

"I'll talk to the staff and make sure they also keep an eye on him." Max said.

"Does that mean we don't' have to leave?" Nokoru asked with wide eyes and Max turned to him.

"Whatever would make you think that you'd have to leave?" He asked.

"I thought that you only let us stay 'cause-"

"Because Akira was sick?" Max finished for the boy and Nokoru looked down before quietly nodded. Max went over and kneeled by Nokoru's chair. He made the blonde boy look at him before he said gently, "How could I make three such wonderful children leave just to go back and live on the streets again? Do you really think that I'm that kind of person?" Nokoru shook his head and smiled. Max turned to Suoh and asked, "What about you? Do you want to stay here?" Suoh smiled and also nodded.

"Wait," Nokoru said and Max turned to him. "How do you know we're all wonderful children if you haven't' even talked to Akira yet?"

Max sweat dropped and said, "Well, he seems like a sweet boy. Besides, I'm going to ask if he also wants to stay here tomorrow when he wakes up so that way I can talk to him once he's all better, alright?" Both boys smiled and nodded.

Not long after that, Haru left and Max showed Nokoru and Suoh back to their rooms before telling them goodnight and going to his own room. The night was quiet as the three boys slept on and not too soon after, Max fell asleep with a smile on his face and dreams of what it was like to be an actual father.

/

It was early morning when Max woke up because of the ringing in his ears, caused by his discarded cell phone lying on the small table by his bed. He looked at the caller ID and groaned but picked up anyway.

"Andrew, do you know what time it is?" Max asked.

'_**What?'**_ the voice on the other end of the phone asked in English. _**'Come on Max, you know I don't' speak Japanese. Wake up!'**_

"Huh?" Max asked sleepily. It took a moment or two for what Andrew said to click and he switched over to English. **"Sorry Andrew. It's just too early. What do you want?"**

'_**Sorry, I know it's early for you, but I thought you'd like to know we finally signed a deal with XXX**_ (Actual name of a company I made up, not there because I couldn't think of a good name)_** yesterday.'**_

"**That's great."** Max said, more awake now. **"Why didn't' you tell me that yesterday instead of so early in the morning."**

'_**I TIRED but you didn't' pick up!"**_ Max flinched at the loud voice.

"**Well, why didn't' you call later in the day at least?"**

'_**I would have, but I wasn't' sure if you'd pick up since you didn't' pick up at all yesterday to anyone who called you and when we called your house one of your maids told us that you were busy but she didn't' say with what. Tell me Max, what's going on?'**_

"…_**Sorry Andrew. I didn't pick up yesterday because I was busy with my kids."**_

'…'

"_**Andrew?"**_

'…_**Kids? Max…YOU DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS! I KNOW THAT SO DON'T TRY AND LIE TO ME!'**_

"**Andrew, I'm not lying."**

'…_**You didn't have an-'**_

"**NO I DID NOT!"**

'_**Sorry, sorry, just had to make sure. Anyway, what happened? How do you suddenly have kids?'**_ Max sighed and told Andrew the whole story. For the most part, Andrew was quiet as he listened except for asking a few questions near the beginning. When Max was finished, it was quiet for a while before Andrew asked, _**'So these three boys, how old are they, like five?'**_

"**No, one if twelve, one is eleven and the youngest is ten. They're such sweet boys Andrew."**

'_**I'm glad that you're happy Max, but you didn't' truly adopt them so they're not really yours. What will the press do if they find out about this? You know how dangerous this could be for them.'**_

"**I know. Do you think I haven't thought about that? I willing to try, but only if they are. Two of them have agreed to stay but I'm going to ask all three again after I explain what the risks are. If they do agree, then I'm going to fill out all the necessary paperwork and make them part of my family."**

'_**Max…'**_

"**Don't try and talk me out of this Andrew."**

'_**I'm happy for you.'**_

"**I told you that I won't change my-wait, what?"**

'_**I said I'm happy for you. I'm not going to talk you out of this only because you sounded so happy when talking about them that it would be just plain cruel to try and make you give them up. I also just read an e-mail from Haru that told me how happy you were being around them.'**_

"**Haru said that?"**

'_**That, and if I tried to talk you out of keeping them that he'd come over here just to make me agree to let you keep them.'**_ Max blinked a few times before he laughed and after a moment, Andrew joined in. When they finally stopped, Andrew said, _**'Anyway, I'm glad you're happy and I'd love to come over and meet them sometime.'**_

"**Sure, just call me in advance so I can get things ready. I'm not sure if they speak English though."**

'_**That's alright, you know I'm starting Japanese and if that fails, you can always be the translator. Oh, sorry Max, I have to go now. Bye!'**_ Andrew hung up before Max could say anything.

He chuckled to himself and got out of bed before getting ready for the day. When he was finished, he looked at the clock which read 6:45 am. He sighed and asked himself, "Why did Andrew have to call so early? Now I'll never be able to get back to sleep." Anime tears fall from his eyes as he dragged himself down to the library and sank into one of the multiple puffy chairs that were settled around the big room.

Max picked up a discarded book lying innocently next to his chair and he started to flip through it. Minutes passed and his eyelids started to grow heavy once more. Before he knew what was happening, he was fast asleep in the chair, the book dangling from his hand before it slipped out and hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud.

Soft snores could be heard through the closed doors of the library and all the staff who passed there let out a small smile or chuckled when they heard it.

It was late morning when Max finally woke up. After a few minutes of sitting and staring at nothing, he yawned and got up, hearing the joints in his back pop as he did so from sleeping in a strange position. Nearly forgetting about the call with Andrew, he headed down the stairs in search of some breakfast since his growling stomach told him it was time to eat. When he got downstairs, he found Suoh, Nokoru and Akira already eating.

"Ah, I'm glad you three are here." Max said with a smile. "I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" Nokoru asked before he gulped down the rest of the apple juice in his glass.

Max sat in a chair across from the three and turned serious. "I want to know if you three want to stay here with me." He held up a hand when Nokoru opened his mouth. "Before you answer, I want to know what might happen if you agree. As you know, I'm a rich man, but along with many good things that come with it, many people also want to hurt me, and they may try and get to me by using the one's I care about and if you agree, than this will apply to you. I do have bodyguards and security working for me, but there are some who may slip past them."

He looked the three in the eye before he continued, "It may be dangerous for you if you agree and I'm not going to force you to stay if you don't' want to take that risk. I just wanted to make that clear before you decided anything." He looked down at the table with his hands folded in his lap and waited for their answer. He heard a chair scrape and footsteps a few moments before a small tug came on his arm. He looked down and his brown eyes met big grey ones.

"Is that why you don't' have a family?" Akira asked. Max raised an eyebrow and picked the boy up before setting him on his lap and looking at him before asking, "How did you know I don't have a family?" Akira pointed over at Suoh and Nokoru who were suddenly very interested in the last of the food on their plates.

Max grinned and said, "Yes, that is why." Three pairs of eyes looked at him and he said, "I'm scared that they might get hurt, and I don't' want that. I could never forgive myself if they got hurt because of me; the same with the three of you. That's why I'm letting you choose. I don't want to make you stay if you don't' want to." He was surprised when he felt three sets of arms wrap around him. One around his neck, one on his left side and another on his right.

"We want to stay with you." Nokoru said. "You're the first one whose been nice to us in a long time."

"If you're worried, you can teach us how to defend ourselves." Suoh said.

"You're a nice person." Akira said, "Maybe you can be like our new dad." The three smiled up at him and Max felt a warmth in his heart he didn't' remember feeling before. He laughed and pulled all three into a hug.

"Thank you," He whispered to the three, tears of joy running down his face. "You don't' know how much this means to me." After a few minutes, he let the three go and said, "Now, how about later today we go out and make it official?"

"Make what official?" Nokoru asked.

"Adopting you." Max said and the three faces in front of him radiated happiness. As soon as the three were dressed (Max had a set of clothes for each boy made until they could buy more) he loaded them into one of his cars (not a limo) and drove into town. Once all the paperwork was done, Max took them out to get them more clothes and shoes that would fit.

Each store they went to, all the sale's ladies squealed at how adorable the three were and at how handsome Max was. They dragged the boys over to the clothes that would fit them and piled them up with mountains of clothes before pushing them into the dressing rooms so they could make sure the clothes fit.

By the time they were done with that, none of the three boys seemed to want to go into any more shops, scared of the sales ladies and what they might do. Max smiled when he saw that Akira was getting tired, so he picked the boy up. "You look tired." Max said when the ten year old looked at him.

"Why does he not have to walk?" Nokoru whined.

"Because he look right about to fall asleep while you seem to be full of energy still." Max said, smiling down at the now pouting blond. _'I'm glad I found them.'_ Max thought happily as he watched Nokoru and Suoh get into an argument about something. _'They're all good kids.'_ He smiled softly when he felt Akira wrap his arms around his (Max's) neck and lay his head on his (Max's) shoulder. _'They're also so cute. I wouldn't trade them for all the money in the world.'_


End file.
